


Years Gone By

by storyhaus



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-02 19:50:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13325289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storyhaus/pseuds/storyhaus
Summary: Nick's past shows up.





	Years Gone By

YEARS GONE BY

"Please let Riley know Patrice is here." The woman with strawbery blonde hair turning grey requested of the woman at the desk.

"I'm sorry ma'am, there is no one named Riley working here." Judy, the receptionist informed her.

"I know he's here! Tell him his step-mother is here!" The woman demanded.

"Ma'am, I've been here a number of years and know everyone here, there is no one named Riley, male or female working for the lab at this time."

"You tell him--"

"Excuse me, can I help you?" Russell joined them.

"Yes! This...person, refuses to let me speak to my step-son!"

"As I explained to her, Supervisor Russell, there is no Riley here." Judy replied.

"Maybe you could describe him for me?" Russell nudged Patrice from the desk.

"I have his photo, it's an old one..." Patrice held it out.

Russell was looking at a younger but still very familiar face in the photo.

"I'll see what I can do, do you have contact information?" 

"I'm staying at the Silver Dollar motel, room 4."

"Okay,why don't you head on back there and I'll be in touch." Russell escorted her to the door.

"Thank you." She nodded and left.

"Should I notify the police about her sir?" Judy asked.

"No, I'll handle this." He shook his head and headed to his office.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nick was logging in evidence on his latest case when he felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned and found Russell there.

"My office."

Okay, Nick frowned and followed, I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything wrong.

His frown deepened when Russell closed his door.

Nick paled when Russell held out the old photo of a much young Nick wearing a blue and white argyle sweater vest over a yellow polo. 

"Want to tell me about Patrice?" Russell looked at him and leaned against the front of his desk.

"Not really but I guess I'd better." Nick sighed and sat down, "Riley Nicholas Baxter... I haven't been him for a long time. My mother died when I was twelve, my father met Patrice six months later. By my thirteenth birthday they were married. She wasn't a bad step-mother, I think she made my dad happy. He died when I was twenty-one. The money and status seem to become that much more important to her. I ran the company my father built til I was twenty-four. That was when I met Shawna, a beauty queen, I was crazy about her...til she dumped me. You'd have thought I would have learned but I rebounded with another beauty queen, her rival in fact.  
A few months into my relationship with Danielle, Shawna tells me she's pregnant so I broke up with Danielle and planned to marry Shawna and do right by her and our child."  
Nick shook his head and seemed to get lost in the memories.

"Nick..." Russell called concerned.

"She was a psycho."

"Shawna?"

"Danielle. She murdered Shawna, who was never pregnant, just told me that so I'd marry her, and framed her own mother for the murder. It was all about winning that damn crown!"

"Now I understand why you're still single." Russell nodded over something he'd wondered about since meeting Nick.

"I don't trust my judgment with women." Nick replied somberly, I guess Kristy fits my track record too.

"How did you become Nick Stokes?"

"When I was a boy we'd visit my Uncle Bill and Aunt Jillian in the summer. He's my mom's brother," Nick clarified for him, "They have six kids and I was just another Stokes boy for the summer." Nick smiled at the happy memories.  
They were only stained by the single incident when he was nine, all the adults had gone out to dinner leaving the kids with a babysitter, who molested Nick but he refused to let it taint those happy times of his childhood.  
"After everything that went down in Madison I had to get out, I sold my father's business and gave the majority of the money to the employees to help til they could find work. The only thing I kept was the lakehouse my father had built for my mother as an anniversary gift. The lawyers were paid well to ensure Patrice didn't get her hands on it. I left her the rest of the money and the house.   
I moved in with my aunt and uncle in Austin, he used his connections to get me into school.  
I pored myself into my studies and finished in two years then joined Dallas P.D. and their lab before I came here.  
I can't believe she found me." Nick frowned.

"She's looking for Riley Baxter." Russell corrected.

"Damn, she must have conned my whereabouts from someone close to my family."

"I have a feeling she's not going to go quietly." Russell handed him the photo.

"Probably not." Nick sighed.

"Silver Dollar motel, room 4. Want me to go with you?" Russell offered.

"Thanks, but I need to handle this on my own." Nick replied and stood, he looked at the photo once more then placed it in his jacket pocket and stepped to the door.

"If you want to talk my door's open."

"Thanks." Nick nodded and left.

Russell watched him walk down the hall with slumped shoulders and picked up the phone.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nick sat in the LVPD borrowed car, he saw no reason to let her track him by driving his own truck here.

With a deep sigh he exited the car, sunglasses firmly in place and walked to the room and knocked on the faded green door.

"Yes--Riley!" Patrice smiled and hugged him.

Nick made no effort to return the embrace.

"What do you want Patrice?" He asked when she stepped back.

"That's not a very nice greeting." She frowned at his rudeness, "At least your friend Russell told you I was here."

"Actually a friend of a friend of a friend told me you were asking for me."

"You don't work there any more?" She inquired.

"No." Nick lied, "So what do you want?"

"I've fallen on some hard times..."

"I don't have any money Patrice."

"The company was worth millions!" She gaped at him.

"The lawyers told you where it went." He replied.

"I need money Riley!" She begged.

"Sell the house, the cars. Drop the country club. Get a job Patrice." Nick rolled his eyes.

"Riley--"

"I live a fairly simple life. You should try it. Go back to California, there's nothing for you here." Nick said then turned and walked away.

He didn't look back as he drove off so he didn't see the black Dodge Charger that had arrived a few moments after he did.

The driver walked to the door and knocked.

"Riley I knew you wouldn't--oh, who are you?" She eyed the shorter balding man.

"LVPD, you need to leave Mrs. Baxter." 

"My business isn't finished here." Patrice replied crossing her arms.

"It is now. That man has a lot of friends at the LVPD...if you understand my meaning." Brass looked at her.

"Are you threatening me officer?" She glared at him.

"Not at all. That your Jaguar? Better be careful, in this neighborhood tail lights are broken all the time. Any officer on patrol sees it and pulls you over it'll be a hefty fine and if you're staying at this motel..." He 'd let her figure out the implications of not paying the fine meant going to jail.

"Thank you officer." She gritted and slammed the door in his face.

"Have a safe trip." He called and left with a smirk.

One day he'd get Nicky to tell him who this broad was and why Russell called him and requested she be convinced to leave sooner rather than later and, oh, not to use Nick's name with her.

Brass sat in his car and watched Patrice Baxter haul two suitcases to her car then drive off, he followed at a discrete distance until she got on the I-15.

He'd give Annie a call, have her send out some CHP officers to escort Mrs. Baxter home safely once she reached California.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nick pulled the lockbox from underneath the floorboard in his closet.

At least Crane never found this, of course I never had reason to look at anything in it when he was stalking me, thank God.   
He removed the photo's of his birth parents and smiled, he hoped they were proud of him and the new man he'd become.  
Maybe it's time to visit the lakehouse again, remember the good times there with mom and dad.  
With a final smile he replaced the photo's, adding the one Patrice had left to the stack, he closed the lid and put the lockbox back in the floor and recovered it with the wood slat.  
With a final nod he closed the closet door and left the bedroom.  
He hadn't been Riley Baxter in a long time, he was Nick Stokes, he had a job he loved and was great at, fantastic friends who always had his back and a new boss he could really talk to.  
This was his life and he wouldn't go back for anything.

The End

I happened to catch 'Crowned and Dangerous' on Lifetime one afternoon with George Eads and couldn't look away , I just had to merge Riley Baxter and Nick Stokes! *LOL*


End file.
